King Rat (Asian Saga)

I read the paperback version many years ago and liked it quite a bit, so I bought the Kindle version recently and was pleasantly surprised to find there was new content that had been edited out of the earlier version. A great read, as all of Clavells books were.

After living in Singapore for seven years, I read a lot on the war in the pacific.
This is one of my favorites. Though fictional, it captured what I saw and read about the Japanese occupation.
Clavel is the one of the best.

There are many great lessons in the book. The last sentence of the book says it all, but only after you read entire book does it truly resonate.

If after you read the book you don't feel very lucky to be alive afforded the luxury of leisurely reading then you're missing the point.

Another of Clavell's gems. In reading this I was made more aware of some of the atrocities & indignities that our captured soldiers had to endure. Thank you, Mr. Clavell, for this excellent narrative.

When I first read the book a lot of years ago, i loved it and thought it should have been made in to a movie It's been at least 30 years since I first read it. I enjoyed it so much

After reading Tai-Pan, I obviously wanted more of the same. This is exactly what King Rat is. It takes place in a very different time and surroundings, but you know you're reading James Clavelle. The beloved character descriptions, the adoration of the hero (Tai-Pan in Tai-Pan and the King in King Rat), the great plot and events, etc. Great book!

When I first read the book a lot of years ago, i loved it and thought it should have been made in to a movie It's been at least 30 years since I first read it. I enjoyed it so much

After reading Tai-Pan, I obviously wanted more of the same. This is exactly what King Rat is. It takes place in a very different time and surroundings, but you know you're reading James Clavelle. The beloved character descriptions, the adoration of the hero (Tai-Pan in Tai-Pan and the King in King Rat), the great plot and events, etc. Great book!

Not really a look into Japanese culture, as Shogun is, but more a soldier's knee-jerk retelling of his war experiences. While it's hard to tell what details are drawn from Clavell's own experiences in a Japanese P.O.W. camp, there is a definite tinge of racism in the portrayal of the Japanese and Korean characters.

The novel is set in the Changi Prison Camp, right near the end of the Second World War. The focus is Marlowe, a British pilot, who is doing his best to maintain a sense of humanity in the terrible camp conditions. He befriends King, a power locus in the camp, who has cornered most trade among the other POWs. Various little schemes are hatched and then put aside as others catch on, including the farming of enormous, vicious rats for food. As the war ends near the end of the novel and all the prisoners prepare to return home, it all takes on a melancholy tone as King begins to think of what his life will be like outside of his seat of power.

While this novel would likely have been well-received at its publishing in 1962, not all that long after WW2, in modern times, you can definitely see the racial tension instilled in the author by war. Perhaps that would be a good study for a book on the soldier's experience, but otherwise, I can't really recommend this novel.

James Clavell wrote the Asian Saga series of novels between 1963 and 1993. Though the historical accuracy of events is good, Clavell makes it clear that his works are fiction, probably to preserve maximum artistic latitude as a writer. Clavell is an outstanding storyteller, and all of the above novels are great stories, but one of them stands out as both different and something special to the perceptive reader. That novel is King Rat, though listed as Asian Saga 4, it is actually Clavell's first book, and is really not part of any series; it stands alone.

King Rat is a story of a mixed group of WWII POW's held by the Japanese at Changi Prison in Singapore. It stands away from all other Clavell works in terms of both story and style and has little connection with the others. Clavell was himself a prisoner at Changri and this is his story. If you know anything about people that have gone through horrible traumas, you know they will normally not speak of them to anybody but those that shared the experience, but in this novel, Clavell does.

This book is a work of absolute genius, though most people will not get it. Many will just see it as a story. It challenges all the great ivory tower philosophers that have ever lived. Isn't it true that most works of philosophy explore the meaning of life, concepts of right and wrong and morality in general? Can anybody born with a silver spoon in his mouth and who has never resided outside his ivory tower be said to have the credentials to even offer an opinion on these questions, let alone dictate dogma? After reading this work by Clavell, one must answer that question with a resounding NO! Anybody that would argue that right, wrong and concepts of morality are NOT relative has simply not been there; they have no standing to comment. Clavell obviously HAS been there. Anybody that hasn't been there could never have written such a novel as this.

Clavell also brilliantly captures the "view from the inside" of the camp and the "view from the outside." For most of the story, the reader is on the inside and sees that the prisoners are functioning within the hierarchical social structure they have created. There is a sense of normalcy, complete with a chain of command, laws, police, a justice system, entrepreneurs, criminals and a functioning economy. I have read a few histories of the War in the Pacific, and specifically regarding the horrific brutality of the Japanese towards their POW's. Throughout this novel I found myself questioning the historical accuracy of Clavell's description of life in Changri. It was far too "normal" for life in any Japanese POW camp. I wondered how a guy that had been there could possibly make it look so seemingly tame as compared to the histories I have read, and why would he do it?

But at the end of the war when the well-fed, confident liberators arrive, they can only stare, horror stricken, at the prisoners, who seem to be nothing but starved empty shells of humanity incapable of communication. At this moment the reader is suddenly switched to a “view from the outside.” The sudden switch from being "part of the community" to being an observer from the outside is nothing less than shocking. At this moment one is rudely yanked from the comfort of the story to the horror of the reality. Again, the manner in which Clavell was able to capture this is utter genius.

It is only at the end when one is suddenly hit with the realization that to survive such an inhumane ordeal, men must create a survivable reality and an imaginary sense of normalcy. It is a normalcy that ONLY those that are part of it can see. An outsider can see nothing but the sheer horror of it all. Again, I have never read any work where an author captured all this so adroitly as did Clavell. And again, probably none but the most perceptive readers will even be aware of what Clavell has actually done here.

If there is a moral to the story, it would be: You can never judge another man unless you have walked in his shoes. Never.

"They were the best fried eggs Peter Marlowe had ever seen, so he paid the King the greatest compliment in the English world. 'Not bad,' he said flatly 'Not too bad, I suppose . . . . '"

James Clavell's Shogun has been one of my two favorite books of all time since I first read it nearly thirty years ago. King Rat is no Shogun. Where Shogun represents the pinnacle of historical fiction entertainment, King Rat is a much more intense - and condensed - examination of men caught in an interminable prison struggling to pretend they have some control over their destiny, all the while knowing they do not.

The novel is set in Changi, a Japanese POW camp near Singapore, during World War II. At the heart of the story is the unlikely friendship of an American corporal, "the King," and an RAF lieutenant, Marlowe. Like other Clavell novels, the cast of characters is large, but, in contrast to his epics, is limited in scope. We get very little internal dialogue from the few Japanese or Korean characters and critical reviewers are correct that we learn very little about Eastern cultures, again in sharp contrast to Clavell's other books. However, I think those reviewers miss the point. King Rat is not meant to be an education about the Orient; it is meant to tell the story of POWs and, accordingly, the reader's experiences and understanding do not, and should not, extend beyond those of the POWs themselves. Clavell himself was a POW at Changi, and King Rat accordingly feels much more real and is more powerful than his other books.

There are two different versions of King Rat out there. The later edition includes chapters describing the experiences of some of the prisoners' wives outside of Changi. Readers considering King Rat should hunt down the earlier edition which takes place exclusively at Changi. The shifting locales in the later edition greatly diminish the impact of the novel. Ideally, the novel should be read in one sitting (it's short enough and so smoothly written that it's doable); that way, the reader can better share some of the characters' reactions and emotions when they are finally liberated from Changi.

King Rat is the story about Western prisoners of war surviving a Japanese camp during WW2 in Changi, Singapore. The book centers upon a particularly ruthless American corporal who is a successful trader and black marketer.

Clavell had a solid grasp of human nature, survival, and capitalism. And it was hard not to overlook his more profound messages.

One of my favorite parts, which struck me as satirical, was when one of the military leaders practically cried as he recounted the way the Sikhs had rebelled against Britain and struck an allegiance with the Japanese. I found this humorous and thought, "By the 1940s who hadn't rebelled against your government?"

Though King Rat is nominally part of Clavell’s Asian Saga, it is actually unrelated to the rest of the series and only comes fourth within it because of its chronological position. None of the characters in the previous books or their descendents appear here, and even stylistically it is quite different. The reason is that unlike the rest of the saga, indeed, King Rat is based on Clavell’s own experience, namely as a prisoner in a Japanese camp during WWII. Before writing it, Clavell was a scriptwriter, and this was his first novel. But if the book lacks the wide cast and racy plot of the rest of the saga, it makes up for it in veracity and originality. Part of the attraction of King Rat is that it is based on the dire reality of Japanese POW camps, a reality he lived through himself. The prisoners were gravely underfed, they were exposed to Malaria, and the Japanese did not pass on the medicine supplied to them by the Red Cross. Lodging conditions were very poor and the place crawled with bugs. Officers and men were forced to do heavy building work in dangerous conditions. All this comes out vividly in the novel, which concentrates on descriptive work as much as on unspooling the typically taught Clavell plot.

King Rat revolves around the fates of Peter Marlowe, an RAF lieutenant seemingly modelled on Clavell himself, and an American corporal named King. Smuggling, or any trading for profit, is strictly forbidden in the camp, but the King circumvents the rules, keeping himself fit and healthy when so many others are fighting for survival. But it is dangerous business as an ambitious British officer, Grey, is quite prepared to enforce Japanese regulations to the letter to further his own aims. Marlowe, who has the advantage of speaking Malay, befriends King and becomes his partner in crime, or rather in adventure as they attempt to smuggle a diamond out of camp and fight to keep its last, hidden radio going, the men’s only link to the outside and sole source of news about the war. More than a tale of war and survival, though, King Rat asks questions of responsibility and morality. Marlowe long agonises before joining King, and he refrains from sharing in his profits except from necessity. But is the King exploiting his comrades, or is he helping them survive? Can survival in such conditions ever come without some cost to others, and is it acceptable to compromise if one is directly at threat? King Rat is ultimately about the difficult moral choices of war and survival conditions generally.

I have read the entire series beginning with Shogun and ending with our failing in Iran. His writing is excellent and I learned so much
of the history of Asia from hi
To follow this would be The Glass Palace by Ghosh and The Piano Tuner, if you ae curious about the historhy of Asia and the English and American interaction there.

Captured POWs of the Allies during World War II spent a brutal and harsh time in various prison camps in various places around the world. One of these camps was known as Changi, and "King Rat" spends the entirety of the story detailing the soldiers that lived there, how they had to sacrifice their morals and integrity just to live another day. Not least among these soldiers is the American simply known as "King", who has found a way to make a living through various business deals on the black market to the envy of the other soldiers. On the other end of the spectrum is Peter Marlowe, a man whom the King takes under his wing. These two men form a bond and a friendship that is the heart of this novel.

Author James Clavell has person experience of being a POW in the very same prison camp and it shows. He understands fully the sacrifices that had to be made to survive in Changi, the constant fear and paranoia that surrounds every prisoner of every day, but also the small moments of happiness and joy that the soldiers were still able to create by virtue of simply being around each other and being friends. Small sections of "King Rat" are also devoted to wives of some of the soldiers, showing that war affects everybody. Many of these moments are just as tragic as the events in Changi.

The character arcs of both King and Marlowe are interesting and deftly executed. Marlowe feels bad about many business deals that happen, feeling he is taking advantage of others while King sees it simply as business. In the end, both of these characters end up taking steps in a different direction for their character. There is also a cast of memorable secondary characters, which include Grey (a man who is hell-bent on catching King and Marlowe without being a one-note villain), Sean (a stage performer who truly believes himself to be a woman), and Smedley-Taylor (a smart and cunning man who takes advantage of being in control of the camp). All the way to the final chapter, all these characters are believable and easy to root for and understand. Speaking of the final chapter, the last thirty or so pages are as fine of literature as I have ever read. It is tragic, utterly engrossing, and a perfect way to end the story. Clavell is able to leave a lot of sadness on the pages.

The only criticisms I have are minor ones. Some of the dialect that is used slows the pacing down tremendously. It is easy to understand, but different from the language in the rest of the novel. The result was those pages being sluggish and difficult to read through. Additionally, many chapters go on and on for many pages while others were as short as can be. To me, that is off-putting and I would have liked to see better standardization and uniformity in the chapter lengths. I would normally forgive these faults and give this a perfect rating, but I found myself -- while entertained -- not in awe of what Clavell has created. (It is still very, very good, though.) I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in war novels.

4.5/5

I cannot believe the previous reviewer and I had the same book. King Rat stands up there with the classic Ivan Denisovich any way you read it...for the great story, or for its cynical look into men's souls. This is truly Clavell's best work, no silly Ninja antics, no inane super TaiPans or Anjin-Sans and their ridiculous MegaMistresses...just a book about real men in real hell, simply written and therefore all the more powerful.

King Rat is a young, cocky American civilian who finds himself drafted into the Army during WWII, and ends up a POW at the notorious Changi camp. But the King isn't an ordinary POW, he is the finagler par excellance. The savvy corporal trades whatever he gets and makes a profit however he can. And he holds sway over the corrupt POW officers because he deals for them on the black market, exchanging wedding rings and wrist watches for food -- with the King always getting his cut. Is the King wrong to take money or food as his price? The officers, honorable British gentleman, have been known to double deal themselves, little tricks like giving King a fake Rolex to trade -- knowing full well the guard would punish King severely, maybe kill him, if the fraud was discovered. King isn't fooled. He just cheats right back, skimming a little more off the top.

According to the history books, Changi wasn't the worst of the Japanese POW camps. That honor is held by a place known only as 4-B, a place where 300 Australian soldiers found out what hell was like on a bad day (and if the subject interests you, this relatively unknow POW camp is worth reading about). But Changi was bad enough. British and Australians, along with a handful of yanks, faced Japanese inhumanity, constant starvation, disease, dangerous work, lack of medical care, and the kind of wet tropical heat that rots everything it touches. Even the true blue, God Save the Queen officers are corrupted by it, stealing food from the enlisted men and then playing bridge with clear consciences.

Clavell has a great way of illustrating what most of us already know: the loudest braying patriot/hero/saviour is usually the most cowardly and venal. There is nobility, however, in the worst of us...and Clavell paints us a picture that is unforgettable.

Given this degradation, what do we make of Corporal King. Is he the only truly uncorrupted soul at the camp? At least he's honest about his double dealing. And there's another side to King. Unlike the officers who eat in secret at the expense of their men, King shares his food willingly. Onone hand, he uses his friends callously, but he does his best to save those he can -- all things being equal. It's his blatant disregard for moral fakery that tarnishes him more than his actions.

King befriends a naive young English pilot, all upper class bravado and stiff upper lip. At first, King seeks to use the pilot as an interpreter, but the gradually the two become friends. The friendship makes him vulnerable.

King Rat looks in great detail at what men do what they have nothing left to lose. Some survive...one may even thrive. The rest cope and get by with whatever is inside them and a little luck. I hate to get all preachy here, because this is one hell of an exciting book. It's loaded with adventure. Although there is not enough explicit torture for the previous reviewer's tastes,I don't think most people would find it tame. This is not, however, a string 'em up and lash them book. It's about survival. Read it on any level you want, but by all means, read it.

The first book written in James Clavell's disparate six-novel "Asian Saga," "King Rat" is nothing less than a monumental achievement.
The novel is set in a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II, and its characters and their actions ring true, mainly because it is a semi-autobiographical work by Clavell, who was a POW himself. One reads details that are only accessible because the author has experienced them.
The play on the words "King" and "Rat" are numerous and multilevel. The characters are in a unique Darwinistic setting, where the only rule is to survive. Each has to look out for number one, and the interplay between the characters is fascinating.
It's a case of context influencing behavior, behavior that, in yet another context, would be abhorrent and immoral. It's a nightmarish stage on which the characters parade, each showing why he can or can't adapt to his environment. Prison is prison, be it a penal institution for criminals or one in which soldiers are ensconced, and one can easily draw the parallel between the two by reading this intensely readable novel.
At the book's core is the transient element of power -- how it's acquired by some and how different people react to it. It's also a story of how one man can look at another and be influenced by his nature and actions, the result being the change of one's own behavior and worldview.
From a microcosmic viewpoint, the tragedy and scope of World War II are depicted through the eyes of various characters. It's a thoroughly thought-provoking book, one that should be considered a classic. And though the statement is often overused, it undoubtedly applies here: This book is a must-read. It's a rare, great book, one which I cannot recommend highly enough.

King Rat is an American POW who economically and socially dominates a prison camp peopled with mostly British POWs of the Japanese. Life at Changi POW camp is a daily deadly race towards the time of hoped for liberation. The book operates on many levels and is infused with symbolism. One day a captured pilot, Lt Marlowe,comes to the camp and the saga of life at Changi,outside of Singapore, unravels before us.

The Rat comes into conflict with the antagonist of the tale,Lt. Grey, who represents the dubious authority of those entrusted with enforcing enemy rules while keeping loyalty with their fellows. The Rat is an American enlisted man who accumulates wealth by breaking the rules that Grey must enforce. The Rat becomes a blessing to many on both sides and the object of admiration among most British officers. The Rat upturns not only the hierarchical nature of the military but symbolizes the conflict and leveling influence of free market capitalism on entrenched privilege.

Perhaps the conflict in this book is also between capitalism and socialism. Perhaps The Rat is an anti socialist symbol to some while Grey is a symbol of collectivism. I think this thought is trite and lazy...what about you?

As it turns out The Rat is capable of altruism despite his greed and helps in a serious medical crisis. The Rat becomes a symbol of Existential good verses mandated compliance with good rules... of free will rather than moral determinism.

Camp life destroys conventional notions of right and wrong as war itself does...the camp becomes a moral desert...a rat race. A transvestite becomes the object of longing for many in the camp and then destroys himself by suicide. The Japanese themselves are caught in the web of deceit weaved by The Rat as he builds his empire on black market wealth and then destroys the authority of the camp commander who,interestingly, is a non-entity in the book. There are also literal rats in the camp.

The nadir of the plot comes when The Rat decides to market a new brand of meat raised at low cost. A meat rat farm is built underneath a barracks. Rats are marketed as a new type of "chicken." The rats struggle and feed off each other in a parody of the humans above them...a rat rat race.

When the camp is closed, the place where the prisoners once lived and then vanished from is abandoned by the British...

- the rat farm below,however,continues with a life-direction of its own. A new King Rat, heavy with the flesh of his comrades, emerges to carry on after the human one has left.

KING RAT is worth a good read and seems written like a screenplay. NAKED ISLAND by Russell Braddon should be read along with KING RAT as a historical documentary. KING RAT was my reading companion in an old hotel in Egypt where the British Empire once thrived and then vanished.

The Naked Island

We should be really grateful for the strike that prevented Clavell to work as a screenplay writer and director for a few weeks in the early sixties and led them to write his first novel. In this edition there is a nice prologue by his daughter explaining what prompted him to write this book, and how quickly he wrote it. The novel is a fictionalized retelling of Clavell's experiences in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Singapore.

Clavell does an amazing job in describing the personalities of the different characters that take part in the story. The fact that the camp held American, English and Australian prisoners provided him with the opportunity to showcase his acute understanding of the different cultures. If you add on top of that the Japanese and the locals that were in charge of managing the camp, you will find a wealth of characters that make this a mesmerizing read. There are two characters though, that are at the center of this tale, and whose actions could serve as a study in sociology. One is an American, the King, who is a corporal that has the ability to facilitate commerce, which is prohibited by camp rules, and therefore makes a very nice living, especially when compared with everyone else. When the King meets Peter Marlowe, a British Lieutenant, the contrast of personalities and moral codes could not be clearer. Thus starts an unusual friendship that will test Marlowe's character and convictions, since he will have to decide between compromising his morals in return for better living conditions for him and his friends, and sticking to his guns and keep on living miserably.

One thing that you can tell as soon as you start reading this novel, and that is confirmed later, is that Clavell is an excellent narrator and has a gift for describing characters and give them a soul. This helps understand how he can hold the reader's attention without it wavering in lengthy novels like Shogun. In this case, the parts that deal with the secret commerce help provide the story with variety, because they speed up the pace and change the tone. It is also interesting that this edition includes the passages related to the situation of those left behind, mainly wives and kids. These provide additional insights into the lives of the prisoners, helping us understand their motivations and behavior better.

In summary, this can only be defined as an excellent read. Although it has some scenes that may be hard on some readers for their brutality, I believe that the great majority of people will love it.

This book is lumped into the "Asian Saga" series of James Clavell, and yes, it takes place in Asia, but bears no other true resemblance to the rest of the saga. It's shorter, of course, but it's also not an epic...it takes place in a POW camp almost entirely.
The character of King, the American trader who lives high-on-the-hog through his wheeling and dealing, is fascinating in the feelings of hatred & envy he generates. Everyone wants to be close to him, not because they like him, but because he can afford to give away cigarettes, share an egg, pour coffee, etc. He has learned to manipulate the system totally to look out for #1.
He makes friends with unassuming British fighter pilot Peter Marlowe, who at first acts and translator and later as partner and friend to King. His character goes through lots of development, and he is really the conscious of the camp. Although not written in the first person, we really see things through his eyes.
The book is packed full of colorful characters, many sketched only briefly, yet Clavell makes us see them all, and understand them.
THere are moments of high drama, where our characters are close to being caught or captured, and the plot moves at a brisk pace.
I found the ending of the story to be just a tiny bit rushed, BUT it made some powerful statements. When the war ends, the fear that sweeps through the camp, first that the Japanese will take vengeance on the POWs and second, the fear of "what do we do now," is very convincing. It's not what I ever thought the liberation of a POW camp would be like, and it really made me stop and think. And the dynamics that occur when the first officers from "outside" show up to help liberate the camp are fascinating.
This book is an exploration of the human spirit that is dramatic, moving, occasionally funny and always unexpected. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

An American corporal manages to swindle and manipulate his way to being the "King" of a Japanese POW camp. The one thing that sets this aside from Clavell's three other novels that I have read, aside from being semi autobiographical is the protagonist. The King has a rascal like charm to him that makes the character highly readable and fun. He is the underdog. Plotting and conniving to make a buck and sticking it to his superiors and relishing it. A man in the right place at the right time. He befriends a British Lieutenant by the name of Marlowe (A nice little nod to Joseph Conrad) whose honor and integrity is arguably the the conflict in the book. Finally, on the opposite end of the spectrum, you have the dutiful yet pitful antagonist Lieutenant Grey. Who, while morally and lawfully in the right, alienates himself by taking himself too seriously. These three make for some great tension and are the main drive of the story.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was not an epic, despite this being his most personal story. However, Clavell fans will not be disappointed. The protagonist thinks two steps ahead of everyone else (I would hate to play chess with the author) and I would not be surprised if King's shrewdness was a precursor to Toranaga in Shogun. Any less qualified author would have made this story into glorified genre pulp. For those struggling for a visual reference, think Bridge on the River Kwai and Pappilon. A great read and highly recommended.

This is a powerful and fascinating book based on the real experiences of James Clavell as a WWII POW in a Japanese prison. Mr. Clavell said that after his liberation at the end of the war, he never discussed his ordeal, not even with his wife. Despite talents that earned him a life of fame and riches as a writer and director of one blockbuster after another, the demons of Changi prison still haunted him. One night at a gathering of friends, Clavell surprised even himself by sharing his experience and the story of the American soldier he could never forget. With the encouragement of his wife to write about it, "King Rat," became the first of several wonderful books by James Clavell. It was an immediate best seller and subsequently made into a film.

Clavell wrote the screenplays for hugely successful films such as "The Great Escape" and "To Sir With Love, among others. This was the basis for his expertise in entertaining through the written word. His bestseller novels include "Shogun," which is particularly wonderful. If the unfamiliar Japanese names and places are confusing, don't miss out on this riveting journey; at least watch the dvd series. It's a pale interpretation of the magnificent saga but may motivate you to read the book. Mr. Clavell was an intelligent writer ~ to pursue the path he so skillfully forges in his books is to be amply rewarded.

Clavell's experiences in Changi prison left him with a love and resect for the United States that changed his life ~ a refreshing viewpoint in this day and age. Born in Australia and educated in England, James Clavell was deeply grateful for all the advantages of living in the U.S. and became a naturalized citizen. He wrote, “I came here with no friends, an old typewriter, and look what I achieved. It would have been impossible to achieve this in England.”

I read "King Rat" while too young to fully appreciate all the nuances of this incredible story, but have never forgotten any of it. Now it's time for me to re-experience enjoying this masterpiece through the wonderful mind and concise pen of James Clavell.

This is a powerful book based on the real experiences of James Clavell as a WWII POW in a Japanese prison. Many years ago, I read Mr. Clavell's revelation that he never discussed his ordeal after being liberated, not even with his wife. Despite talents that earned him a life of fame and riches as a writer and director of one blockbuster after another, the demons of Changi prison still haunted him. One night at a gathering of friends, Clavell surprised himself by recounting his story and the American soldier he could never forget. With the encouragement of his wife to write about it, "King Rat," became the first of many wonderful books by James Clavell. It was an immediate best seller and subsequently made into a film.

Clavell wrote the screenplays for hugely successful films like "The Great Escape" and "To Sir With Love, among others. His bestseller novels include "Shogun," which is particularly wonderful. If the names are confusing, don't miss out on this riveting journey; watch the dvd series. It's a pale interpretation of the magnificent saga but may perhaps inspire you to read the book. Mr. Clavell was an intelligent writer ~ to pursue the path he so skillfully forges in his books is to be amply rewarded.

Clavell's experience with the remarkable King Rat in Changi prison left him with a love and resect for the United States that changed his life. This is very refreshing in this day and age. Clavell, later a naturalized citizen of the U.S., said of America, “I came here with no friends, an old typewriter, and look what I achieved. It would have been impossible to achieve this in England.”

I read "King Rat" while too young to fully appreciate all the nuances of this riveting story but have never forgotten any of it. Now it's time for me to re-experience this classic masterpiece through the wonderful mind and concise pen of James Clavell.

Warning: this is a disturbing book. It is gripping and enthralling, but horrifying. It shows men being tested to the utmost, and the many bad qualities this brings out. But it also shows true friendship and cooperation against adversity.

Clavell truly brings to life a POW camp of Englishmen and Americans (captives of the Japanese) and the horrors they were subject to. Men help each other survive, but also betray each other, and are jealous of each other's success. The King, an American soldier, is especially envied because he is extremely skilled at trading and making deals. He and the Englishman Peter Marlowe are the main characters, but there are also stories of other men and how they survive.

The ending is perhaps the most frightening part of the whole book. The prisoners are freed at the end of WWII, and as they leave the camp, they must learn to be part of the world again, and not the world they created. I won't spoil anything more. For anyone who can handle its intensity, "King Rat" is an eye-opening read.

The setting is a Japanese POW camp near Singapore in early 1945. After years of Japanese neglect,

near starvation diets, tropical diseases, and increasing hopelessness of liberation, British,

Australian, and American prisoners are dropping like flies. A young and idealistic British pilot,

Peter Marlowe, forms an unlikely friendship with a clever, street-smart enlisted American, 'the

King'. While all the prisoners are literally walking skeletons suffering from every disease the

tropics have to offer, the King inexplicably manages to eat, live, and dress normally. The King's

secret? Trading.

However, in Changi trading is a zero-sum gain and absolutely forbidden. (In this strange world, the

commanding British officers strictly enforce Japanese orders against their fellow inmates.) For one

prisoner to eat, another will go hungry (ier). And the King is the master at not going hungry -

looking out for No. 1. The king even outtrades his captors. Life is comparatively sweet for the

King, albeit lonely. After all, the entire camp burns with covetous envy regarding the King.

Nearly, everyone depends on the King, though, to make a life-saving trade - a watch for a bowl of

rice, $20 for an orange, etc. The King decides to take the unaffected Marlowe under his wing as a

sort of junior partner.

Marlowe is decidedly fascinated by this dynamic man (without a conscience?). And the King, in turn,

remains mystified by Marlowe's idealism and self-sacrifice. The King lets Marlowe in on his

adventures and his secrets, something the whole camp would like to know, too. The ever imaginative

King comes up with a brilliant scheme to both make money AND get revenge on his camp enemies. And

this perverted world comes to a surrealistic end with the closing of the Pacific War. Though some

survive Changi, the experience will haunt the survivors for the rest of their lives. The question is

who will survive.

This is an outstanding book, which I read in the space of two days, barely able to put the book down.

Clavell's book - based on his actual imprisonment in Changi - describes the truly surrealistic world

of an actual Japanese POW camp and the men within it. However, it is strictly a fictional account -

only 2% of the prisoners held in Changi died according to the Australian War Memorial's Creation of Changi Prison Museum article by Kevin Blackburn.

James Clavell is renowned for his works such as _Shogun_ and _Noble House_. This darkly autobiographical novel was, so far as I am aware, his first literary work. It remains his best.
Clavell was a prisoner of the Japanese. He was held at the infamous Changi prison on the eastern end of Singapore island as described in the novel. Like the protagonist, Peter Marlowe, Clavell came from a good family, though due to his eyesight he was in the Royal Artillery, not the Royal Air Force (a little harmless wish-fulfillment, there).
I think the novel impresses so many readers due to its stark simplicity and forthrightness, particularly in describing the moral dilemmas that confront Marlowe. With the issue of survival in the balance, does morality become relative? Marlowe concludes that the only man who could answer his questions, his father, is dead-- killed on the Murmansk run. But just as Changi is rebirth for Marlowe, perhaps it is the King-- the trader with the Japanese-- who becomes Marlowe's father and answers those questions.
There are many, many layers to this book. I have read it many times and have always walked away with something new. As with the Changi experience, itself, I sense that there is never complete resolution.
Clavell died several years ago. I hope that he found peace.
Add this work to testaments like Iris Chang's, _The Rape of Nanking_, as a remembrance of what the Japanese did to the defeated.